The distribution of molybdenum in the tissues of wild ducks

The Mo contents and the relations between Mo and Cu or Crcontents were investigated in the organs of Japanese wild ducks(spotbill duck, pintail, wigeon, scaup and tufted duck). Thehighest Mo content in kidney and liver of the dabbling duckswere more than 30 g g^-1 dry weight (g g^-1 d.wt.), though that of diving ducks were less than 11 gg^-1 d. wt. The contents were lower in the ducks migratingwithin Japan, Eurasia and North America than those in the birdsmigrating between Japan and Eurasia. The contents of liver inall species were more than 50 and less than 5 g g^-1 d.wt. for Cu and Cr, respectively. Significant correlations werefound between Mo and both elements in pintail and scaup, and Moand Cr in tufted duck. These results suggest that thecontamination of wild ducks reflects the reproductive area, andnot the collected area. Mo contents closely correlated with theCu and/or Cr contaminations.     

Accumulation and biological effects of metals in wild rats in mining areas of Zambia

The lead–zinc (Pb–Zn) mine in Kabwe City and the copper–cobalt (Cu–Co) mine in the Copperbelt Province are major mining areas in Zambia. To examine the effects of metal pollution on wildlife, wild black rats (Rattus rattus and Rattus tanezumi) were captured in Kabwe and Chingola (in the Copperbelt Province), and in Lusaka (a noncontaminated site). Wild black rats in Kabwe accumulated significantly higher concentrations of Pb and Cd in various organs than rats from Lusaka. In Chingola, significantly higher concentrations of Cu, Co, Pb, and Cd were accumulated in wild black rats than in rats from Lusaka. These results were in accordance with metal accumulation patterns in soil. From toxicological aspects, concentrations of Pb and Cd in rats were generally low. However, metallothionein-1 (MT-1) and metallothionein-2 (MT-2) mRNA expression levels in wild black rats from Kabwe were significantly higher than those in rats from Lusaka. A generalized linear model (GLM) showed that concentrations of Zn and Cu had positive effects on the MT-1 and MT-2 mRNA expression. These results suggest that wild black rats in Zambian mining sites were exposed to metals that accumulated in their organs, causing biological responses such as MT mRNA induction. GLM indicated that heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) mRNA expression could be a marker for Cr exposure.     

Accumulation and mobility of zinc in soil amended with different levels of pig-manure compost

Applying manure compost not only results in zinc accumulation in the soil but also causes an increase in zinc mobility and enhances zinc leaching. In this study, the physical and chemical characteristics of zinc, zinc profiles, and zinc balance were investigated to characterise the fate of zinc in fields where the quality and amount of pig manure compost applied have been known for 13 years. Moreover, we determined zinc fractionation in both 0.1 mol L^?1HCl-soluble (mobile) and -insoluble (immobile) fractions. Adsorption of zinc in the soil was enhanced with increasing total carbon content following the application of pig manure compost. The 159.6 mg ha^?1 year^?1manure applied plot (triplicate) exceeded the Japanese regulatory level after only 6 years of applying pig manure compost, whereas the 53.2 mg ha^?1 year^?1 manure applied plot (standard) reached the regulatory level after 13 years. The zinc loads in the plots were 17.0 and 5.6 kg ha^?1 year^?1, respectively. However, 5.9 % and 17.2 % of the zinc loaded in the standard and the triplicate pig manure compost applied plots, respectively, were estimated to be lost from the plough layer. Based on the vertical distribution of mobile and immobile zinc content, a higher rate of applied manure compost caused an increase in the mobile zinc fraction to a depth of 40 cm. Although the adsorption capacity of zinc was enhanced following the application of pig manure compost, a greater amount of mobile zinc could move downward through the manure amended soil than through non manure-amended soil.     

Congener-specific analysis of non-dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls in blood collected from 127 elderly residents in Nakagawa Town, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan

We conducted congener-specific analysis of non-dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (non-dioxin-like PCBs) in blood collected in February 2004 from 127 elderly residents living in Nakagawa Town, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The present study is one of the few studies in which 56 non-dioxin-like PCBs congeners were measured in human blood. Of the 127 elderly residents, 51 were men (mean: 68.1 years) and 76 were women (mean: 68.1 years). Among 197 non-dioxin-like PCB congeners, 56 were identified in the blood of elderly residents. The arithmetic mean total concentrations of 56 non-dioxin-like PCBs congeners in the blood of elderly men and women in Nakagawa Town were 419 (median: 378) and 363 (median: 323)ngg(-1)lipid, respectively, and the concentrations were in the range of 172-1102 and 119-1226ngg(-1)lipid, respectively, indicating that the total concentrations in elderly men are significantly higher than those in elderly women. The contamination of non-dioxin-like PCBs in the blood of elderly men and women in Fukuoka Prefecture was found to have decreased compared to past levels. The ratios of hexachlorinated biphenyls (hexaCBs) to the total concentrations of 56 non-dioxin-like PCBs congeners in the blood of elderly men and women were 44.6% and 45.6%, respectively, which was particularly high compared with those of other congeners. 2,2',4,4',5,5'-HexaCB (#153) among hexaCBs congeners, the most abundant congener in the blood of elderly men and women, contributed approximately 23.0% and 23.5% to the total concentrations of 56 non-dioxin-like PCBs congeners, respectively. Furthermore, 2,2',3,4,4',5'-hexaCB (#138), 2,3,3',4',5,6-hexaCB (#163)/2,3,3',4',5',6-hexaCB (#164), 2,2',3,4,4',5,5'-heptaCB (#180), and 2,2',3,4,4',5,6'-heptaCB (#182)/2,2',3,4',5,5',6-heptaCB (#187) also showed high ratios to the total concentrations of 56 non-dioxin-like PCBs congeners detected in the blood of elderly men and women. A statistical examination of the relationship between the total concentrations of 56 non-dioxin-like PCBs congeners in blood and the age of elderly residents who were over 60 years indicated statistically significant correlations between the total concentrations of these PCBs congeners and the age of elderly women. However, similar correlations were not observed in elderly men. The results of the present study have indicated the current levels of non-dioxin-like PCBs in the blood of elderly men and women in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan and can be used as baseline data for those over age 60.     

Screening for potential effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in peri-urban creeks and rivers in Melbourne, Australia using mosquitofish and recombinant receptor–reporter gene assays

Sexually mature male mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) were collected from various sites around Melbourne in 2009 to evaluate the performance of gonopodial indices as a biomarker for endocrine disruption in Melbourne's waterways. The mosquitofish indices assessed were body length (BL), gonopodial length (GL)/BL ratio, ray 4:6 ratio and the absence or presence of hooks and serrae, and these varied between sites. The study was complemented by measurements of estrogenic, retinoid, thyroid and aryl hydrocarbon (AhR) receptor activities of the water. Male mosquitofish were 16.3–21.5 mm in length, and although there was a statistically significant positive relationship showing that bigger fish had longer gonopodia than small fish (r2 = 0.52, p < 0.001), there were few significant differences in GL/BL ratio of fish between sites. Measured estrogenic activity was mostly in the range 0.1–1.7 ng/L EEQ, with one site having much higher levels (~12 ng/L EEQ). Aryl hydrocarbon (AhR) receptor activity was observed in all water samples (7–180 ng/L βNF EQ), although there was no consistent pattern in the level of AhR activity observed, i.e., ‘clean’ sites were as likely to return a high AhR activity response as urban or wastewater treatment plant (WWTP)-impacted sites. There was no correlation between measurements of receptor actvity and gonopodial length (GL):BL ratio and BL. We conclude that the mosquitofish gonopodia only fulfills part of the criteria for biomarker selection for screening. The mosquitofish indices assessed were cheap and easy-to-perform procedures; however, there is no baseline data from the selected sites to evaluate whether differences in the morpholical indices observed at a site were a result of natural selection in the population or due to estrogenic exposure.     

Photochemical decomposition of environmentally persistent short-chain perfluorocarboxylic acids in water mediated by iron(II)/(III) redox reactions

The photochemical decomposition of short-chain (C(3)-C(5)) perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) was investigated. Direct photolysis in water proceeded slowly with the 220- to 460-nm light emission from a xenon-mercury lamp to form F(-), CO(2), and shorter-chain PFCAs. Addition of a small amount of Fe(3+) to the aqueous solutions of the PFCAs dramatically enhanced their photochemical decomposition under an oxygen atmosphere: when the (initial PFCA)/(initial Fe(3+)) molar ratio was 13.5 (initial PFCA concentration=67.3mM), the pseudo-first-order rate constants for the PFCA decomposition were 3.6-5.3 times those with photolysis alone, and the turnover number for the catalytic PFCA decomposition [i.e., (moles of decomposed PFCA)/(moles of initial Fe(3+))] reached 6.71-8.68 after 24h of irradiation. The catalysis can be explained by photoredox reactions between PFCA, Fe(3+)/Fe(2+) and oxygen via photo-induced complexation of Fe(3+) with the PFCAs.     

Changes in reproductive life-history strategies in response to nest density in a shell-brooding cichlid, Telmatochromis vittatus

To determine whether the appearance of a reproductively parasitic tactic varies, and how this variation affects territorial males of the Lake Tanganyika cichlid fish Telmatochromis vittatus, we examined the reproductive ecology of territorial males in Mtondwe and compared it with that of a neighboring Wonzye population, where nest density differs from that at Mtondwe. In Wonzye, with high nest density, male tactics change with their body size from a territorial to a non-territorial parasitic tactic called piracy in which they conquer several nests defended by territorial males and take over the nests while females are spawning. These “pirate” males could decrease the costs incurred by travelling among nests by exclusively targeting aggregations of nests in close proximity while avoiding separate nests. Territorial males in Wonzye sacrifice the potential higher attractiveness offered by large nests and instead compete for nests farther from neighbors on which pirates less frequently intrude. In contrast, the Mtondwe population had lower nest density and piracy was absent. Given that the success of piracy depends on the close proximity of nests, nest density is likely responsible for the observed variation in the occurrence of piracy between the two populations. Furthermore, in Mtondwe, territorial males competed for larger nests and were smaller than the territorial males in Wonzye. Thus, this lower nest density may free territorial males from the selection pressures for increased size caused by both defense against nest piracy and the need to develop into pirates as they grow.     

Occurrence of a crinotoxin and hemagglutinin in the skin mucus of the moray eel Lycodontis nudivomer

The tropical Indo-Pacific moray eel Lycodontis nudivomer possesses a mucous skin secretion which shows hemolytic, toxic and hemagglutinating activities. The active components were extracted from the mucous secretion with 0.02 M phosphate buffer (pH 7.5) and purified by DEAE-cellulose and Sephadex G-200 column chromatography. The component(s) responsible for the hemolytic-toxic activities differ(s) from that (those) causing the hemagglutinating activity. The hemolysin was unstable in the presence of heat, acidic and alkaline media, and several organic solvents. It was undialyzable throught a cellophane membrane, and showed an absorption maxium at 280 nm in the phosphate buffer (pH 7.5). The hemolytic activity was completely lost when treated with trypsin, indicating that the hemolysin is a protein. Histochemical examination on the epidermis of L. nudivomer revealed the presence of clubbed peculiar cells, in addition to common mucous cells, which we speculate produced the hemolytic-toxic component(s). Eight other species of morays were found to possess clubbed peculiar cells similar to those of L. nudivomer in their epidermis. There are marked differences, however, in the abundance of these cells among these muraenids.     

Levels and tissue-dependent distribution of dioxin in Japanese domestic leafy vegetables--from the 1999 national investigation

In 1999, Japanese domestic leafy vegetables were successively investigated for levels of dioxins, including 17 dibenzo-p-dioxins/dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), four non-ortho co-planar PCBs (co-PCBs) and eight mono-ortho co-PCBs, all of which had been assigned toxic equivalency factors (TEFs) by WHO in 1997. The mean levels of dioxins in the edible portions were 0.07 (0.09) pg TEQ/g in spinach, 0.13 (0.14) pgTEQ/g in garland chrysanthemum, 0.01 (0.04) pg TEQ/g in mitsuba (marsh parsley) and 0.01 (0.03) pg TEQ/g in chingentsuai (Brassica Campestris var. chinesis), when non-detects were set to zero (and set to half the limit of detection). In order to understand the dioxin pollution of leafy vegetables in detail, a further investigation of dioxin levels in the tissues of spinach was conducted. As a result, the dioxin levels in the leaves were found to be higher than those in the stem and red collar, but they were much lower than those found in the primary and secondary roots, which are considerably affected by the soil, which is recognized as a sink of airborne dioxins. The dioxin levels in edible portions (leaves, stem and red collar) were obviously lower than those in non-edible portions (primary and secondary roots). In addition, from the finding that several lower-chlorinated PCDD/Fs and co-PCBs, namely 2,3,7,8-TCDD/F, 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD, 1,2,3,7,8/2,3,4,7,8-PeCDFs, 1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDD, 1,2,3,4,7,8-/1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDFs, 3,3',4,4'-TCB, 2,3,3',4,4'-/2,3',4,4',5-PeCBs, and 2,3',4,4',5,5'-HxCB, were more highly represented in the dioxins in the leaves than in those in the secondary roots, it was suggested that in leafy vegetables the deposition of gaseous, presumably moderately volatile dioxins in leaf wax is another pollution pathway in addition to the adhesion of dioxin-contaminated particles including soil.     

Cytochrome p450 induction and gonadal status alteration in common carp (Cyprinus carpio) associated with the discharge of dioxin contaminated effluent to the Hikiji River,Kanagawa Prefecture,Japan

Accumulations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans and coplanar polychlorinated biphenyls were analyzed in common carp (Cyprinus carpio) collected in the Hikiji River, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan in which dioxin contaminated effluent was released during the period starting from November 1992 to March 2000. Higher levels of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin toxic equivalents were observed in carps collected downstream to the dioxin release site (contaminated site) than the reference site. Modulations of cytochrome p450 (CYP) enzyme in liver, serum estrogen concentration and gonadal somatic index (GSI) were also measured as biomarkers for the contaminants. Total CYP content in livers was markedly higher in male and female carps from the contaminated site relative to the reference site fish. The expression level of the cytochrome p450 1A and Ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase activity were significantly higher in female carps from the contaminated site than from the reference site. A lower level of plasma estrogen was observed in carps from the contaminated site. The GSI in female carps from the contaminated site was smaller than that recorded at the reference site. The present study indicates that dioxins released to the Hikiji River might induce the CYP enzyme and inhibit the reproductive functions in common carps dwelling downstream from the release site.